Mexico weekly ledger., 1887-12-29
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arodesn Torpeoo-Boats.


The most noted torpedo-boat build
ers of the world are Messrs. Yarrou
and Messrs. Thornycroft, of London.
Each of these great firms employs from
1000 to / POO workmen, and can turn
out at least one completed boat per
week. The chief peculiarity of torpedo
boats is their almost phenomenal speed.
They are built of steel, the different
classes ranging in length from IS feet,
intended for hatrbor defense, to vessels
of loo feet, capable of making an ex-
tended cruise at sea. The Fake, q
boat recently built by the Messrs.
Yarrow for the Austro-Hungarian gov
ernment, IS 135 feet long, IA feet wide,
draught of water 8 feet inches, and
attained on the trial trip speed Of 254
niles per hour. The armament con-
sists of two Nordenfeldt machine-guns,
carried ON deck and two bow-tubes for
discharging Whitehead torpedoes.
The development of torpedo-boats is
now so rapidly progressing that any
description becomes almost out of date
during the writing. Avessel just COM
pleted by the Messrs- Yarrow for the
Japanese government is the largest
that has been yet built. 1t is 166 feet
long, 10 feet wide, is provided with
twin screws to give greater facility in
turning, and maintains q speed of "a
miles per hour. The engines are pro-
| tected by steel deck one inch thick:
and, in addition to two bow-tubes fo:
dtscharging torpedoes directly ahesa,
two turntables are mounted on deck,
from which tcrpedoes can be launched
in any desired direction.
| Very similar in their construction,
and no less famous for speed and man.
euyering qualities, are the boats bull:
by the Messrs. Thornycroft.
In this country the Messrs. Her.
reshoff, Of Bristol, Z. l., have mum.
Der of very fast boats designed to be
used with torpedoes. One of these is
the noted steam-yacht Stiletto, which
may well be taken as a representative
of the American type. The Stifetto il
built of wood with iron braces; length,
94 feet; width, II feet, draught of water,
4 feet 6 inches, and has attained a speed
of twenty-five miles per hour.
4 very formidable torpedo-vesseI has
been built in recent years by that
greatest of living engineers, Capt. John
Ericsson. It has been appropriately
named the Destroyer. Once, at !
| critical moment in the history of oui
country as every American well knows
Capt. Ericsson came to the rescue with
q monitor. Since then his genius
energies, and mechanical skill have
| been devoted to the problem of saving
our great coast cities from destruction
in the event of war with foreign
naval power. The result of these
years of study and experimenting is
the Destroyer, armed with a torpedo.
gun which discharges under the water
a projeetile carrying a charge sutfi.
cient to sink the largest iron-eiad atioat
The submarine gun is mounted iR ths
bow OF he vessel, near the keel, and is
thus nearly ten feet below the surfaes
of the water. Itconsists of a cylinder
of gun-metal, or steel, thirty feet
long, additionally strengthened at tht
breech by broad steel rings. It ii
/ loaded at the breeeh. the muzzle being
| incased by the vessels stem, and closed
| by valve to exclude the water. Thi.
Ivalve is opened by suitable levers ius
before the gun is discharged, and
closes automatically as the proiectiis
leaves the muzzle. The proieetils
is steel torpedo, 25 feet long, II
Inches in diameter, and carrying i
charge of 800 pounds of gun-cotton
It has range of 800 feet during tht
first three seconds of its flight. The
form of the torpedo is cylindrical. viii
. conicaf point. In which is placed the
percussion lock and fiaing-pin, and thu
explosion takes place upon impact
From j" .Nodcrn aggressive 7orpedoss.
il Scrsbaer's Magazine.